August 21, 2002 Posted: 5:03 AM EDT (0903 GMT)

HONG KONG, China -- A state of emergency has been declared in China's central province of Hunan, where surging water levels in the country's second biggest freshwater lake threaten more than 10 million people.

With water already exceeding the flood warning mark, locals living near the Dongting lake have been evacuated while thousands of workers have been mobilized to shore up anti-flood measures around the 2,800 square-kilometer (1,070 square-mile) lake.

The lake acts as a giant overflow for the flood-prone Yangtze River and should the Dongting burst its banks an estimated 10 million people as well as 667,000 hectares (1.6 million acres) of fertile farmland are at risk, the state-run China Daily.

"I have just been talking to our Chinese Red Cross colleagues in Hunan, and they say the provincial governor has declared a state of emergency for all Hunan," said France Hurtubise, an International Red Cross spokeswoman in Beijing.

"[Officials] are very worried about the situation. The state of emergency means more workers will be mobilised, and some people will be moved from around the lake," said spokeswoman France Hurtubise.

Flooding crisis

Chinese authorities have warned that the nation faces possibly its worst flooding crisis in years and with more heavy rain forecast those fears may become a tragic reality.

Deluges from unusually wet seasonal weather have wreaked havoc across Asia with flooding already claiming an estimated 1,800 lives this year.

More than 900 have been killed in China in the past two months from an early start to the flooding season, prompting fears that this year's floods may prove worse than in 1998.

Then, more than 4,000 people died after the Yangtze and Dongting burst their banks.

Hunan has been one of the provinces worst hit by flooding this year. This month alone, more than 100 people were killed while the total damage bill across China is reportedly at least $3 billion.

Typhoon Vongfong

Meanwhile, further south, at least three people were injured in China's Guangdong province from typhoon Vongfong which lashed the area on Tuesday.

Vongfong is the 14th typhoon or tropical storm to hit the Chinese coast this year. The system hit hardest the port cities of Maoming and Zhanjiang in the province's west.

Widespread flooding and damages were reported with dozens of homes destroyed, state media reported.

Electricity, water supplies and transport routes were temporarily cut off.

Vongfong is the second typhoon to hit Guangdong this year.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/08/21/china.lake/index.html

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